Pro Football Hall Of Fame: Bill Parcells Snub A Travesty

Bill Parcells won't be honored on Saturday when the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducts its 2012 class, a group that will include New York Jets running back Curtis Martin.

That is nothing other than a travesty.

I was upset about this snub back in February when it was announced. I am still unhappy about it. Here is some of what I wrote when Parcells was first left off the list of inductees:

No offense to Curtis Martin, Jack Butler, Cortez Kennedy, Willie Roaf, Chris Doleman and Dermontti Dawson, who were voted in, but not one of that gang of six deserved to go into the Hall of Fame before Parcells.

I thought it was a no-brainer that Parcells would be elected. I was stunned Saturday night when the legendary Giants coach was left off the list of finalists.

None of the six players elected holds the status in the game that Parcells does. None has accomplished more, or affected the entire NFL in such a positive way.

I still feel that way. Recently, there has been some debate over whether current Giants coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning have done enough to justify eventual Hall of Fame induction. With the current Giants duo you can argue either way, they are classic borderline cases at the moment. There can be no argument that Parcells has a Hall of Fame resume.

• Two Super Bowl titles and three Super Bowl appearances.
• Playoff appearances with the Jets and Dallas Cowboys.
• A coaching tree that includes Coughlin, Bill Belichick and Sean Payton.
  
• Parcells is 11th on the all-time regular-season wins list with 172.
• He has 11 playoff victories, ninth on the all-time list.

I am not going to tell you any of the people being enshrined into the Hall of Fame today don't belong. But I am going to reiterate that I am not buying the excuses for bypassing Parcells. From voters, those include there were "more deserving candidates" and a coach should "never take a spot from a player."

Phooey! The Hall of Fame -- any Hall of Fame -- is about greatness. Tell me Bill Parcells isn't one of the greatest coaches to ever pace a sideline. Tell me he didn't have a Hall of Fame career. Tell me he doesn't belong in Canton.

You can't. Parcells should be among Saturday's honorees. Shame on the voters who decided, for whatever reason, that he wasn't worthy.

Cris Carter and Bill Parcells Snubbed: NFL Hall of Fame 2012 (via sbnation)